A Familiar Stranger
by The Potters of the Future
Summary: DCI Robin Branaugh has a case of strange murders. So who should he run into again but Vlad now a full blooded vampire. Will Robin uncover the truth about Vlad and regain his memories.
1. Memories

Memories

Detective Chief Inspector Robin Branaugh was sitting in office rubbing his forehead. He was forty-three years old and had been a police man for two decades.

He may now live in Edinburgh but he originally came from the small village of Stokely in Wales. It was years ago now but he still remembered his old village. But something had happened, something he couldn't quite remember that had caused him, his little sister, two older twin brothers, mum and dad to move all the way to Scotland. His father had abandoned his job in Wales and set up as a private plumber in Edinburgh. They'd been friends with a family he knew. He knew he spent a lot of time with them but for the life of him he couldn't remember who they were and whenever he tried to remember them his mind would go foggy.

Robin who always loved blood and gore and had a secret love of vampires even if there were no such thing as vampires! He decided that he would become a detective and solve the most gruesome cases. He had to work hard as a teenager to get his fitness and grades up to scratch but he got in at the age of nineteen. He soon found out that blood and gore weren't as cool as he had thought they were. But he still wanted to be a police officer and help catch the bad guys. He was very good at this it was almost as if he had practice at stopping murders before hand.

That of course was ridiculous but how come there seemed to be a barrier in his mind.

Robin was unmarried having only ever fallen for the wrong girl. Most of them he ended up discovering where criminals. The others had either divorced him for being married to his work or simply being a bit of an idiot. He spent his nights off the job at _Coyle's Bar._ He would visit his parents in the old people's ward from time to time. Both of them seemed to have some strange repetion throughout their sickness.

'Vampires do not exist. Vampires do not exist!' they would repeat over and over again.

Chloe who was now a doctor - though not their doctor - just couldn't understand it. It was almost like conditioning she had told him. But who could have conditioned them? Robin had asked. For which Chloe had no answer. Ian and Paul had found twin girlfriends Laura and Rachel. Ian and Laura had moved up North where Laura had took over the family farm. Paul was a rugby player and Rachel was a junior doctor under Chloe. But Robin always felt like something was missing.


	2. The Deaths

2. The Deaths

Robin looked again at the report on his desk.

In his two decades as police man he'd never seen such a death. It had at first seemed to be the work of an animal. But it couldn't be worked out how an animal had gotten into the home of one of the most well off people in Edinburgh. It was suggested that someone had somehow snuck some foreign animal into his home and ordered it to kill the man.

Robin found that the man had left everything to his young Transylvanian lover – Miss Lulia Cel Rau. But when they tried to find her it was found she had disappeared and she hadn't been found on any flights or trains. It was like she had just disappeared into thin air. Which of course was impossible!

It got even stranger when it was found that the man seemed to have been aroused at the time of death. He was literally smiling as he died.

'Maybe he was shagging the animal which killed him,' suggested his partner, DI Cassie King.

Robin had already wondered about Cassie's strange sense of humour. The young twenty-six year old woman was brilliant but bordering on insane. She had curly red hair, green eyes; she never tanned and was tiny. Her northern Irish accent was the most prominent thing about her. Robin new he sometimes took the young woman fore granted but he cared about her. Though she had a knack of attracting with bastards; they weren't good enough for her.

The final strange thing was when a few days later the corpse disappeared and the pathologist was found dead of exactly the same causes with the corpses DNA all over him. Then a few days later the pathologist too disappeared.

Robin rubbed his forehead.

'Any idea?' asked Robin.

'Vampires,' laughed Cassie.

'There's no such thing as vampires,' Robin replied monotonously.

'I know,' Cassie grinned, 'it was a joke!'


	3. The Teenager

3. The Teenager

Everyone else had left for the night. Robin had seen Cassie go home with one of the uniforms. But Robin was going through the reports once more. He was sure he knew the answer but he just couldn't reach it.

Robin had had some of his best brainwaves during the long, lonely hours of the night but today he'd seemed to reach a block.

That was when he came!

'Hello, Robin,' said a voice from behind him.

Robin swivelled around on his chair. There was a young man who couldn't be much more than sixteen standing behind him. He was tall and his muscles were clearly enhanced by the black leathers that he wore. He had messy night black hair and looked like he'd never seen the sun. His eyes were stormy grey and were the oldest thing on him. They looked so much older than his body. And there was something about him shining with power. Robin had the strange urge to run from the teenager. But something stopped him! Maybe it was his intrigue, maybe it was the fact he'd never been scared of a child before now and had no reason to start now, or maybe it was his strange familiarity that he seemed to recognize off the young man.

'Who are you and how do you know my name, kiddo?' Robin demanded.

The boy smiled as if something saddened him, 'I'm Vlad.'

'Vlad who?' Robin asked planning to look it up later.

'Vlad Robinson,' the boy said.

'So what do you want?' he said sharply.

'I'm here to help with the investigation of the deaths of Lord Timothy Hodge and Dr. Leon Small,' Vlad returned.

'But your just a kid,' Robin surprised.

'I'm older than I look,' Vlad said as though something amused him. 'Here I've got a seal,' Vlad showed him his badge.

It was like no bade Robin had ever seen. It was red and looked like a dragon. He frowned then researched the name on his system. Apparently the young man helped with strange cases. His organisation called _The GHV _had been doing this for a while, apparently. Robin saw no reason to doubt the teen's words so nodded.

'Come in tomorrow,' suggested Robin.

'How about eleven?' asked Vlad.

'Sure,' said Robin, 'we'll see you then.'


	4. Misunderstandings

4. Misunderstandings

The next day at nine O'clock Robin told everybody what had happened last night.

'He's a spy,' said Cassie. 'Must be that's why he's so weird and why you've never heard of this _GHV_.'

'At sixteen?' asked Leslie.

'You never know,' grinned Cassie.

'Well let us all just wait until eleven,' said Robin.

And so eleven rolled by and twelve at five most of the others left.

'Are you sure you didn't just dream him?' asked the receptionist who had been on a coffee break at the time.

'No he was real,' Robin said with a feeling that he may have been wrong.

He was sleeping on his desk afraid to go home because his last wife was taking to stalking him. Cassie had suggested a restraining order but Robin couldn't be bothered with the hassle.

'Robin,' Vlad's voice sounded in his dream.

Robin woke with a start.

'VLAD!' Robin was enraged. 'WHERE THE HELL WAS YOU? I HAVE NOW GOT THE WHOLE FORCE THINKING I'M HALLUCINATING! EXCEPT CASSIE WHO BELIEVES IN _BLOODY _VAMPIRES!' Robin shouted. 'And they are not real,' Robin said monotonously.

Vlad grimaced here, 'sorry,' Robin had a feeling the boy wasn't talking about missing there appointment.

Moira the receptionist had obviously heard shouting and had come to find out what was wrong. It wouldn't be the first time she had walked in on a telephone row with one of his exes. She looked between the teenager and the detective.

'Oh your Vlad Robinson,' she understood, 'sorry, sir.'

'Its fine,' Robin rubbed his eyes tiredly, 'could you bring me a coffee, Moira?'

'Of course sir would Mr Robinson like anything?' asked Moira.

'No I drank before I came,' Vlad smiled sadly.

'So where were you?' Robin asked.

'Sleeping,' Vlad said honestly. 'I came the time I said I would.'

Robin looked at the clock it was just passed eleven at night.

Robin groaned, 'I thought you meant the morning.'

'I have jet lag,' Vlad said.

'Oh where do you come from?' asked Robin.

'Originally Transylvania but I've lived here from the age of twelve,' Vlad shrugged.

'So where were you?' asked Robin.

'New York,' shrugged Vlad, 'meeting with some old friends.'

'Any news on the murders?' asked Robin.

'I've seen this type of murder before,' murmured Vlad looking serious and older than his years once again. 'As for whom I cannot say unless you'd like to tell me of any eccentric people around?'


	5. He's Real

5. He's Real

Just before dawn Vlad yawned, 'well I better be off.'

'But you need to help us,' Robin begged.

Vlad looked around the office, 'okay but can we keep the blinds closed there could be those watching us.'

'Fine,' Robin rolled his eyes.

At nine o'clock everyone sat around the office room looking tired.

'He's real,' Leslie said.

Vlad had bags under his eyes and kept glancing nervously towards the window as if he was scared of the light.

'Can we open the blinds?' asked Leslie.

'No,' hissed Vlad.

There were raised eyebrows at this. But Vlad's expression sent shivers up everyone's spines and nobody contested the blinds again. Several actually decided to leave the room under excuses.

'Okay br-people have you got any leads?' asked Vlad.

'No,' sighed Jane the replacement pathologist. 'All we know is that it's some kind of animal which does not scare the first victim. But scares the second and both bodies go missing from the morgue.'

'Have there been any other murders like this in the past?' asked Vlad.

'We would have heard it's quite distinctive,' retorted Robin.

'Just look into it okay,' Vlad snapped at them.

'Okay, Greg, do it!' said Robin.

Greg came back with a whole list of similar murders all occurring within the last twenty-five years.

'How come nobody has noticed this?' asked Robin.

'Because until now its people nobody will miss; those who live on streets, criminals, old people with nobody left, orphans,' said Greg grimly.

'So what changed?' asked Leslie.

'By the looks of this,' said Vlad. 'These ones were planned and premeditated compared with these two which were passionate and in the heat of the moment.'

'A copycat?' asked Cassie.

'No,' said Vlad, 'the same person/people but in different circumstances.'

Vlad frowned, 'I should have realised something like this would happen,' muttered Vlad.

'What?' asked Robin.

Vlad just shook his head.


	6. Is That Blood?

6. Is That Blood?

One night Vlad came in. Cassie was on this night. Ever since Vlad had turned up that night the police force had got used to the fact that he never was around in the day time. So often various officers would stay because with Vlad's help they got further than they had ever gotten.

So when Vlad turned up at 10.45 nobody so much a batted an eyelid.

Well until Cassie gasped.

'What's wrong, Cassie?' laughed Leslie.

'Is that blood?' she asked pointing at a drop of red on the teen's pale lips.

Vlad touched his lips wiping the red from his lip without looking at it.

'What? Blood? No!' said Vlad. 'It's just some of my smoothie.'

'Oh,' Cassie blushed before they got back to work.


	7. A Strange Request

7. A Strange Request

Robin had dragged Vlad out for dinner in his favourite restaurant one night.

Vlad had complained saying he wasn't hungry. But Robin had only had one sandwich all day and was hungry.

Robin ordered his usual lasagne.

'Steak extra-rare,' Vlad ordered.

'Of course, sir, would you like garlic with that?' the waiter asked.

'No,' said Vlad sharply.

'Any salad?' asked the waiter looking unnerved.

'No,' Vlad repeated.

'I take it you don't like garlic?' said Robin.

'Hate it,' agreed Vlad.

When Vlad's extra-rare steak and chips came Robin wrinkled his nose at the smell of blood. He was pleased when the smell of lasagne came over his way. He started but stopped as Vlad's started dipping his chips into the congealed blood. He practically sucked all the blood from the steak.

'Well that was nice,' murmured Vlad.

Robin looked at his untouched lasagne, 'really?' he asked weakly.


	8. Coffins

8. Coffins

One afternoon Robin got a tip off at where the murderers were. The team followed the sniff to an old abandoned house that the locals insisted was haunted. This naturally worried Cassie but she being Cassie followed Robin in anyway. They were just about to be heading off home as it seemed to be getting dark when they found a hidden entrance.

'This could really be it,' Robin said excitedly.

'It's like Scooby Doo,' replied Cassie.

'Tell me about it,' said Robin. 'But if it was Vlad would be the man in the suit.'

Cassie snorted at this.

The two detectives went in and found a room full of coffins.

'The crypt?' whispered Robin.

'Obviously,' Cassie looked terrified. 'Let's go there could be anything down here,' sje squeaked.

That's when the coffin lids were removed and out came a whole arm of people. They were all deathly pale.

A small girl with long, golden curls her eyes the colour of violets stood in the crowd. Her skin was as pale as alabaster. She wore clothes that no child that age should wear! All leather: black hot pants and red bra with long black boots. She couldn't be much older than five. But she looked familiar that was when Robin realised that she was Primrose Green named as she was found on Primrose Green where she had been abandoned. She was one of the orphans found dead and then went missing hours later. But she was alive. But those eyes looked so empty. Why hadn't she changed even though she'd been killed thirteen years ago?

It was almost as if.

But no. He was going into a panic attack and his head hurt.

There's no such thing as vampires! resounded around his head. But the evidence was here. His head hurt so much it was going to kill him.


	9. I Remember

9. I Remember

That was when a bat whistled into the room. Then Vlad appeared into the room. The bat… Vlad …. Vlad … the bat … Vlad the bat! Vlad the vampire!

'Vampires do not exit! Vampires do not exist!' Robin repeated the mantra.

'I am Vladimir Dracula, the Chosen One, The Grand High Vampire,' Vlad's voice shook with fury. 'Who here has been creating an army?'

'That would be me,' a young woman with night black hair and stormy grey eyes just like Vlad's entered the room.

She looked so familiar but Robin's mind refused to work.

'Ah you've got Breather Boy back again?' smiled the woman. 'Not looking to well is he? But that's the effect of a mind wipe, isn't it?'

'What have you done to him?' shouted Cassie from somewhere beside him.

'Me oh nothing you should be asking my baby brother, Vladdy,' the vampire smirked.

'Brother?' Cassie looked at Vlad.

Of course, Ingrid and Vlad were brother and sister. But Ingrid was evil. Wait he didn't know that! How did he know that?

'Vampires do not exit! Vampires do not exist!' Robin took up the mantra once more.

Ingrid changed into a bat but Vlad put a ring of fire around her. Once she was in place he looked to the other vampires.

'I do not know what Ingrid has told you but you are safe and we do not kill humans,' Vlad said. 'You can drink from them if you are careful. But if you kill them then you will be sentenced to the sun. I will place each of you in families who will protect you and teach you how to harness your powers and the laws of our society.'

And with a flash of his eyes they had gone.

'Ingrid why?' Vlad asked.

'Did you really think I'd be content with your laws to not kill?' asked Ingrid.

'Ingrid can't you see I'm doing this for us as well as them so we won't be hunted like animals,' Vlad sighed.

'No I can't,' Ingrid said. 'Now are you really going to kill your big sister?'

Robin shuddered he knew he wasn't going to do that. He knew that Vlad loved his sister despite what Ingrid said.

'No I'll spare you this once on account of you being my sister,' Vlad said. 'But if you ever do this again I will have to kill you!'

Ingrid flew off.

'What's wrong with him?' whispered Cassie looking at Vlad timidly.

'When I came into my inheritance there was a battle,' Vlad explained. 'To stop it I wanted the slayers to forget all about vampires – which they did. Only there was one problem I made all the mortals there forget about us, including my best friend.'

'But your like half his age,' said Cassie.

'No I stopped aging when I turned sixteen,' Vlad chuckled.

'Oh,' Cassie said. 'Can you help him?'

'I've never been able to reverse the memory wipe on Renfield but Robin has a stronger mind than him,' Vlad seemed to be talking more to himself than to Cassie.

Vlad placed his hands on Robin's face looked into Robin's eyes. Vlad's eyes turned gold. Robin was sure he'd seen this happen before, 'remember,' was all Vlad said.

And so Robin did. He remembered the strange boy. He remembered finding the black cloak. He remembered meeting Count Dracula. He remembered falling for Ingrid Dracula; his best and only friend's older sister, the bad girl, the hot temptress. He remembered there adventures together. Having to save his family again, and again, and again from Vlad's father. Finally he remembered getting Vlad to put on the crown. There was the look of fury that was in Vlad's eyes as he surveyed the battle between slayers and vampires alike on the floor below him. He remembered being drawn to Vlad's feet as Vlad erased his memories. That was what was missing! He'd left a whole tone of memories behind him.

'I remember,' he whispered then grinned. 'Honestly Vlad it's not fair you're still a teenager while I'm a old man.'

Vlad laughed, 'you'll always be you Robin.'


End file.
